Speaking

Rocky Dawuni is one of Africa’s most celebrated musicians, cultural diplomats and humanitarian activists a four-time Grammy-nominated artist whose work has consistently placed him at the intersection of music, advocacy and global change. A Ghanaian singer, songwriter and record producer, Dawuni performs his signature “Afro Roots” sound a vibrant fusion of Reggae, Afrobeats, Highlife and soul straddling the boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States to create music that unites generations and cultures.

Rocky Dawuni holds the distinction of being the first Ghanaian musician to earn a GRAMMY nomination, a landmark that opened global doors not just for himself, but for an entire generation of African artists. His nominations also span multiple categories “Best Reggae Album” in 2016 for Branches of the Same Tree, “Best Global Music Album” in 2022 for Voice of Bunbon Vol. 1, and “Best Global Music Performance” in both 2023 for “Neva Bow Down” and 2025 for “Rise” making him the most consistently GRAMMY nominated Ghanaian musician in history. His sixth album Branches of the Same Tree was named one of the “Top 10 Most Essential Reggae Albums of All Time” by the influential Songlines Magazine. Rocky was named one of Africa’s Top 10 global stars by CNN, Rocky Dawuni has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Jason Mraz, Janelle Monáe, and John Legend, and has performed at iconic venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Beyond the stage, Rocky Dawuni is a force for change recognized by the world’s leading institutions. He currently serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme for Africa, a UN Foundation Ambassador for the Clean Cooking Alliance. As described by Erik Solheim, former UN Environment Executive Director: “Rocky Dawuni’s eloquence, cultural diplomacy, and successful melding of music and activism have led him to become a passionate spokesperson for various global causes.”

In 2025, Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded him a diplomatic passport as part of a national initiative to broaden Ghana’s diplomatic toolkit by empowering cultural ambassadors to promote trade, tourism, and international partnerships.

Rocky Dawuni’s advocacy extends into the heart of global policy. In 2013, he performed live before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland, and has participated in panels and live performances at the UN Foundation’s Social Good Hub at South by Southwest (SXSW).

As Founder of the Rocky Dawuni Foundation a registered non-profit in both the United States and Ghana, Dawuni translates his global platform into grassroots impact. The Foundation’s three pillars of Youth, Culture and Planet drive programs spanning leadership development, environmental conservation and the preservation of African cultural heritage. Its flagship initiative, the Sankofa Africa Centre in Aburi, Ghana housed in the former Tuff Gong Africa Studios (created by Rita Marley), the compound is envisioned as a Pan-African cultural innovation hub dedicated to music, arts, creativity and youth empowerment, carrying forward the legacy of both Afro-Caribbean unity and African cultural renaissance.

At the March 2026 Borderless Africa Campus Connect in University of Ghana, Rocky Dawuni urged immediate African unity, challenging youth to drive transformation rather than waiting for Agenda 2063. He criticized colonial-era borders and internal conflicts, advocating for free movement, and leveraging music as a tool for political and economic integration

At his recent “Gifting Ghana” event held at NYU Accra Gardens, the session explored Dawuni’s fusion of Afrobeat, Reggae and Highlife, and his role in shaping African narratives on the global stage. The talk focused on using music for social change, his work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and promoting Ghanaian culture, amongst other topics.

Rocky Dawuni is not merely an artist who advocates, he is an architect of cultural diplomacy, a builder of bridges between continents, and a living embodiment of the belief that music is one of humanity’s s most powerful instruments for social transformation.

Rockys influence and cultural impact has transformed his works beyond the realm of global music into the realm of Global politics and when at the UN General Assembly in 2022, The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Motley quoted his lyrics and called him by name in her pivotal and historic speech to world leaders

Speaking Samples Links:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQjT69opj8w
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2apDijo6rwQ
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytTS4b8uHQA

Select Recent Speaker & Activism Related Events:
Honouree & Featured Artist, “Gifting Ghana” as part of Labone Dialogues, NYU Accra 2026
Panelist, “Rhythmz of Our Land” Jamestown (Accra), Ghana 2026
Speaker, “Borderless Africa” University of Ghana, Legon, 2026
Performer, Diaspora Summit Gala Awards, December 2025, Ghana
Speaker, Diaspora Summit, December 2025, Ghana
Speaker, Unearthing Her Crown, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Library, Dec 2025, Ghana 
Recipient, Millennium Excellence Awards, November 2025, Ghana
Speaker / Participant, Borderless Africa event November 2025, Ethiopia
Performer, African Women & Children Conference, October 2025, Ghana
Performer, Speaker UNSDG / FAO event July 2025, Ethiopia
Speaker, Olymp’Arts, July 2025, Paris, France
Speaker, Salzburg Global Weekend, June 2025, Austria
Speaker & Panelist, GRAMMYs on the Hill, April 2025, Washington DC
Speaker, AMCEN Conference, Abidjan, Cote’Ivoire 2024
Speaker & Performer, GITEX Conference, Dubai, UAE 2024
Speaker & Performer, GITEX Conference, Marrakesh, Morocco 2024
Speaker & Performer, United Nations Environmental Assembly, 2024
Speaker & Performer: COP28 Dubai, UAE, 2024
Performer: Accra Reparations Conference 2023  / Speaker: Swiss Embassy Recycling & Upcycling Event, Accra, Ghana 2023 Speaker: Italian Embassy IRENA Action for Climate Event, Accra, Ghana 2023 / Speaker: AMCEN Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2023
Performer / Panelist: World Environment Day, Abidjan, Cote’Ivoire 2023
Performer / Speaker: International Concert Against Racism, Salvador Bahia, Brazil 2023
Speaker: Earth Day Beach Clean Up, Ghana 2023
Speaker / Performer: International Concert Against Racism, Costa Rica 2023
Speaker: UNEP Celebration of World Ocean Day, June 2022 (virtual)
Speaker / Performer: United Nations Environment Assembly, Nairobi, Kenya March 2022
Speaker: Launch of Diaspora Flag for Sixth Region of Africa, Accra, Ghana February 2022 Speaker: World Day of African & Afrodescendant Culture, Accra, Ghana January 2022
Invited Guest: RFK Human Rights Global Gala, NYC, December 2021
Ambassador: COP26, Scotland, UK October 2021
Ambassador: International Day of People of African Descent, Costa Rica August 2021 /Host: Keeling Curve Prize, Monterey, CA July 2021
Speaker: Global Landscapes Forum, Digital Conference June 2021 Ambassador: European Development Days, June 2021
Performer: World Environment Day, June 2021
Performer: Launch of UN Decade of Restoration, June 2021
Supporter: Plastic Pollution Fundraiser, May 2021
Performer: Stop Food Waste Summit, April 2021
Performer: Global Just Recovery Gathering, April 2021
Performer: All Together Now Fundraiser, April 2021
Speaker: CCA Youth Summit, February 2021
Speaker: Climate Ambition Summit, December 2020
Performer, AEGIS Trust, October 2020
Performer: Purpose Earth, September 2020
Performer: UN Global Governance Forum, September 2020

Associated Organizations:
UN Environment / UNEP / UNFCC / COP / UN Foundation / UNFPA / World Day of People of African and Afrodescendant Culture / UNESCO  / Clean Cooking Alliance / Robert F Kennedy Center for Human Rights / Born Free USA / Food Tank / Annenberg Foundation / Amnesty International Campaign to save Darfur / AEGIS Trust / Creative Visions Foundation / Timbuktu Action Group (with Brookings Institute) / Playing for Change / We Day / ONE / ONE Girls & Women / Explore.org / Kenya RED Cross / March Forth Kenya Kids / Product (RED) / Stop Poaching NOW / Concert for Social Justice / Freedom Awards / Reebok Humanitarian Awards / And-Albert Foundation / Whole Planet Foundation / Skoll Foundation / Carter Center / Keeling Curve Price / Global Warming Mitigation Project / International Seabed Authority

Video EPK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZvqFVscwAg

Rocky Dawuni Websites & Social Media:
https://linktr.ee/rockydawunimusic
http://www.rockydawuni.com
http://www.rockydawunifoundation.org
http://www.youtube.com/rockydawunimusic 
http://www.facebook.com/rockydawuni
http://www.instagram.com/rockydawuni
http://www.twitter.com/rockydawuni 

Contact:
Cary Sullivan
+13106637227 direct / whatsapp
afrofunke@yahoo.com